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Neural signatures of hyper-realistic AI-generated faces: dissociating behavioral indistinguishability from implicit neural evaluation.

Overview

Authors: Alice Mado Proverbio1,2, Mariia Dosaikina1,2
  1. Cognitive Electrophysiology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo nuovo 1, 20162 Milan, Italy
  2. Master’s Program in “Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence” HCAI, Department of Philosophy, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
Institutions: University of Milan (Italy); University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy)
Journal: Scientific reports, volume 16, issue 1, article 22944
Dates: received 15 January 2026; accepted 22 June 2026; published online 30 June 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY-NC-ND
Identifiers: DOI 10.1038/s41598-026-59487-7 · PMID 42380456 · PMCID PMC13392425 · OpenAlex W7166720676
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: EEG (modality), human (organism), cognitive (subfield)
Methods: Spectral & time-frequency, Preprocessing, Statistics, Evoked potentials, Single-unit activity, calcium imaging, Physiology & signal measures
Keywords: Artificial intelligence, GAN-generated faces, Face perception, Event-related potentials (ERP), Neural familiarity, Aesthetic evaluation, Sex differences, Source reconstruction, Neuroscience, Psychology
MeSH: Brain*, Face*, Facial Recognition*, Adult, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Female, Generative Artificial Intelligence, Humans, Male, Photic Stimulation, Young Adult (* major topic)
Topic: Face Recognition and Perception (Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience), according to OpenAlex
Funding: Università degli Studi di Milano - Bicocca (56821-2024-ATE-0036); Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (Grant No. 2023-NAZ-0206, PsyFuture - Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2023-2027, PsyFuture – Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2023-2027)
Citations: cited by 1 paper (Europe PMC); 46 references in the paper

Abstract

The abstract is not reproduced here: the paper's license (CC BY-NC-ND) does not allow it. Read it in the paper, at the publisher or on Europe PMC.

Code

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Data

Datasets cited

Data availability statement

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Read it in the paper: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59487-7.

Versions

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Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 2 authors, 10 keywords, 12 MeSH terms, 2 funders, 45 references.

Cite

This paper

Proverbio, A. M., & Dosaikina, M. (2026). Neural signatures of hyper-realistic AI-generated faces: dissociating behavioral indistinguishability from implicit neural evaluation. Scientific reports, 16(1), 22944. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59487-7

BibTeX

@article{proverbio2026neural,
author = {Proverbio, Alice Mado and Dosaikina, Mariia},
title = {{Neural signatures of hyper-realistic AI-generated faces: dissociating behavioral indistinguishability from implicit neural evaluation}},
journal = {Scientific reports},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
volume = {16},
number = {1},
pages = {22944},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
issn = {2045-2322},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-59487-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59487-7},
pmid = {42380456},
pmcid = {PMC13392425}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Proverbio, Alice Mado
AU - Dosaikina, Mariia
TI - Neural signatures of hyper-realistic AI-generated faces: dissociating behavioral indistinguishability from implicit neural evaluation
T2 - Scientific reports
J2 - Sci Rep
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/30
VL - 16
IS - 1
SP - 22944
SN - 2045-2322
PB - Nature Publishing Group
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-59487-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59487-7
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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